Generic Company Place Holder PocketKnife Peek

Note: This review addresses v1.3 of the
software.

Worried that dangers may be lurking in an HTML e-mail you've
received in Microsoft
Outlook? The free PocketKnife Peek lets you see that e-mail in
plain text, without any potential HTML dangers such as malicious
scripts. And you can use the program to examine other parts of the
e-mail as well.

PocketKnife Peek integrates directly into Outlook, so when you
get a potentially dangerous e-mail, highlight it and click the Peek
button. You'll see four tabs: Plain Text, HTML Source, Internet
Header, and Attachments. Click the Plain Text tab, and you'll see
the text of the message, without any associated HTML. The HTML
source shows you the actual HTML used to create the e-mail.
Internet Header shows all the normal header information, such as
sender, recipient, content type, servers, and so on. And the
Attachments tab lists all the attachments. Although Outlook lets
you see Internet header information and attachments without the use
of this program, it's useful to have all those features in a single
location, as it is in PocketKnife Peek.

View the message in plain text and you'll get the information in
the message, without the messiness and potential dangers of HTML.
Any HTML jockey will appreciate being able to examine an e-mails to
show what scripts are being run, and other information. Those who
are knowledgeable about Internet routing will want to examine the
Internet Header. Examining routing information can possibly show if
the e-mail has been unnecessarily routed to hide its origin. Note
that in order to get PocketKnife Peek to work you'll need to first
shut down Outlook, then install PocketKnife Peek, then restart
Outlook. You'll then find the program on the far right of the
standard toolbar in Outlook 2000 through 2007, or else on the
Add-In Tab on the Ribbon in Outlook 2010.

PocketKnife Peek isn't a groundbreaking utility. But it's free
and convenient, and simple to use, so it's a worthy addition to
your Outlook installation.

--Preston Gralla

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